Large home appliances popular despite rising single-person households

[Courtesy of Cuckoo Electronics Co.]

Demand for large home appliances is rising in South Korea despite the growing number of single- and two-person households.

According to Cuckoo Electronics Co. on Thursday, its pressure rice cookers for 6 or more people account for more than 90 percent of its entire rice cooker sales, while compact 3-cup rice cookers make up about 5 percent.

“With the increase in single-person households, appliance makers have aggressively released small rice cookers, but consumers seem to prefer large-capacity cookers as sales figures show,” said an official from Cuckoo.

The company also noted that premium electric rice cookers equipped with multi-cooking functions like steaming or sous vide are particularly popular.

Cuchen Co. is also responding to this trend with large-capacity rice cookers.

One of its products features a thawing function for frozen cooked rice, reflecting consumers‘ habit of storing cooked rice in sealed containers.

Earlier this year, Cuchen launched a 1.5-liter power blender. Featuring an 8-blade stainless steel with titanium coating and deep blending technology, it cuts through tough or hard foods like ice and nuts better than conventional blenders.

[Courtesy of Cuckoo Electronics Co. ]

Cuckoo Electronics has also released a 5.5-liter air fryer capable of accommodating a whole chicken, facilitating cooking for 4 to 5 servings simultaneously. Similarly, microwaves are also increasing in size due to the growing demand for reheating store-bought packaged meals and frozen foods at home.

Cuckoo Electronics’ 25-liter large-capacity microwave, released last month, has internal cooking chamber dimensions of 34 centimeters in width and height and 21 cm in depth, making it easy to reheat packaged meals.

Equipped with programs suitable for four types of dishes commonly used by single-person households, including frozen pizza, frozen dumplings, instant rice, and frozen rice, it offers convenience for reheating store-bought packaged meals and frozen foods.

Humidifiers are also trending towards larger capacities to meet consumer needs for continuous humidification during sleep.

Cuckoo Electronics’ new humidifier with a 6.7-liter stainless steel tank provides 42 hours of continuous humidification on a single water supply.

Dishwashers are not exempt from this trend.

[Courtesy of SK Magic Co.]

SK Magic Co. has released a 12-person dishwasher maximizing internal loading space efficiency. Utilizing a 4D flexible basket, it accommodates dishes of various shapes and sizes, allowing for efficient washing of up to 110 items at once, including rice bowls, soup bowls, and spoons, catering to Korean eating habits.